Pirates, Prisoners, and Islands
by m0r0x1d3
Summary: When a group of the notorious pirate Captain Caliborn's prisoners wash up on a seemingly deserted island, friendships are made... and maybe a romance is formed when a certain grumpy 21-year-old meets a clown version of Tarzan living on the island. And maybe, just maybe... this group of prisoners wants revenge on the Captain. Includes alpha/beta kids and post-scratch trolls.
1. Chapter 1:Sinking into adventure

Coughs hacked. Tears fell. Shackles clanged against chains. Teeth were gritted and breaths were held as the captain walked slowly between the labyrinth of barred cages, his boots making a dull tap with each step, looking his prisoners over.

He made his way to the last and largest cell and stopped, staring at the group of twenty that had made it into his ship. They had each been kidnapped from a different place, some from mansions, some from other ships, some from who knows where during a raid.

The captain tipped his pointed hat up, the green feather on the end bobbing. One of these prisoners was staring straight back at him, the anger in his dark red-brown eyes nearly visible as a flame. His hair was the orange-auburn hue of a sunset, and his skin was pale and dotted with orange freckles here and there. His wrists were filthy with blood and grime from the rusty shackles, his chest heaved with adrenaline-filled, deep breaths, and his nostrils flared.

The captain laughed. "Angry one, aren't you?" he said, reaching a hand through the iron bars to grip his chin. The boy bore his teeth and made a deep, guttural sound in his throat. The captain scratched the boy's chin with his sharp, unkempt nails, drawing blood. "That won't get you very far on my ship, boy," he spat. "I will have you whipped and thrown off of the mast in a heartbeat if you are not able to rid of your developing attitude."

He let go of the boy's chin, watching the blood drip down his neck and over his chest. The boy lowered his head, but his eyes still held every bit of seething anger inside of him.

A voice was heard from the other side of the prison. "Captain Caliborn, sir!" the voice yelled. "You are needed at the spar deck!"

The captain took one last look at the red-headed boy before turning on his heels and walking back to the stairs leading to the outside deck.

"_Why am I here?" _ the boy thought. "_Why could it not have been some other soul unlucky enough to cross his crew's path?" _ He turned his head towards the other prisoners. There were ten in front of him, and four each on his left and right sides. They all seemed to be about his age, twenty-one, or not that much older. His eyes were caught on one girl who seemed to be… enjoying herself. She had a birthmark on her left cheek that looked like one dark brown dot surrounded by six others. Her eyes were a deep, sparkling cerulean and her pitch-black hair fell past her shoulders in straight, wispy locks with a few patches of stray hairs here and there. She wore a pendant with a small silver spider weighing down the end.

"And why are you so giddy, arachnid?" the boy said, aggravated by her ability to smile in this dire situation. The girl's dreamy, upward gaze quickly snapped to the boy's. She raised her eyebrows and grinned, showing off her pointed canines.

"Well, I absolutely love the concept of pirates. My grandmother was the great Captain Marquisse Spinnerette Mindfang," she smirked, narrowing her eyes just the right amount to get her smug point across to the boy. His eyes widened a bit at the mention of her ancestor's name. Mindfang was a legend, her being a woman, and no man pirate could ever top her reputation for ransacking, raiding, burning down ships, robbing kings, and killing barons. "I was a gypsy until Caliborn caught me, destroying my reputation of witchcraft and curses."

The girl seemed to notice the boy's surprise and laughed. "The name's Vriska Serket," she chimed.

The girl next to Vriska smiled a toothy grin, most of her teeth sharp. "Well," she began, "Since, apparently, we are now participating in a cell-wide introduction game, I might as well pitch in. My name is Terezi Pyrope, and my grandmother was Neophyte Redglare, the most renowned hangwoman in history."

A few heads popped up, listening to her story. "I myself, have studied law and once aspired to become as great an enforcer of it when there was an accident that left me blind, so my mentor found me useless and sent me here," she concluded. "So, how about you, angry one?" she interrogated.

The boy furrowed his brows before starting.

"My name is Karkat Vantas, grandson of the Sufferer," he muttered. Surprised looks were thrown about as he continued. "My mother died when I was born and my brother and I were separated into different orphanages, for our father did not want me, and was too drunk every day to care for my sibling. I have moved from town to town, all across Britain, wearing tattered clothes and being scowled upon by features… many people think I am the Sufferer reborn and will try just as hard to destroy the tyranny of the King with a new religion. I was walking out on a dock when this ship arrived, and I was kidnapped and thrown here with you," he finished.

The introductions went around and around. The woman next to Terezi was the granddaughter of the Dolorosa who worked at an orphanage that Caliborn and his crew had robbed. The strong-looking male beside her was the grandson of the Executioner and worked at a baron's stables. The girl sitting next to him was the granddaughter of the Disciple and ran with the circus as a lion tamer. The boy with the lisp was the grandson of the Psiioniic and said he was a psychic who fed his mother and older brother with the little money he made from his readings. The shy- looking boy with a stutter was the grandson of the Summoner and helped write fairy-tales for children. The girl with the messy, curly hair was kidnapped along with her valuable fossil findings. The girl with the warm smile and happy voice was the daughter of a countess and spent most of her time on the docks or in the ocean with the stuck-up boy next to her, who was her soon-to-be- step brother.

In order, their names were Vriska Serket, Terezi Pyrope, Karkat Vantas, Kanaya Maryam, Equius Zahhak, Nepeta Leijon, Sollux Captor, Tavros Nitram, Aradia Megido, Feferi Peixes, and Eridan Ampora.

The group bantered and bickered about opinions for a while until another shout came from above deck, followed by a clap of thunder. Soon the ship was rocking back and forth, swaying with the shackled prisoners, the wooden planks of the ship snapping underneath them. The ship made a sickening lurch forward, causing even more holes to open. The prisoners' deck flooded with cold, rushing, salty water, screams being deafened in the chaos.

Karkat thrashed at his shackles, watching the others break down in fear. Tears streamed down his face, disappearing in the freezing, dark water that had risen almost up to his chest at this point. He screamed as he felt the icy cold cover his throat, clamping his mouth shut as the water consumed the rest of his body. He felt the water rush back and forth, snapping his shackles from the board they were attached to. He tried to swim up, his hands free, but was knocked down by one of the masts sinking quickly above him. He shoved his arms downward and kicked rapidly, running out of oxygen. A splintered plank sailed towards him, creating a gash in his on his side, the blood spreading out in smooth, wispy clouds that looked as if they were puffs of red smoke. He watched for a second, terrified, his vision becoming black around the edges. He managed to tug himself just below the surface of the water, almost to safety, almost to air-

And everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2:Not Your Typical Firewood Hunt

_Be the wounded prisoner._

Shallow waves wash over you. You can feel the sea foam remain after the water leaves, then bubble away to let the next rush of ocean water cool your back.

There is sand covering the one side of your face where you did not land. It sticks to your arms and stomach as you attempt to lift yourself from the ground. As you stand up, though, a stinging, searing pain in your side invades your thoughts and senses and you crumple to your knees. You look down at your left side and grimace at the sight of a wide gash that has barely started to scab over . You don't remember what did this to you, but you honestly, you don't want to.

You manage to get up and slowly walk forward, being careful at first, and gradually work your way up to a normal pace. You can feel the warm sand underneath your feet and it soothes you, having been cold for who knows how long.

You wander forward for awhile until you see the figure of another person in the distance. They look just as lost as you. You feel a pang of hope in your heart , glad that if this will be the place where you die, you won't die completely alone and unremembered. You speed up the slightest bit and yell.

"Over here!" you shout, forming both hands into an outward-facing cone from your mouth. You see the silhouette of their head turn towards you and you wave your arms, tired shoulder muscles straining to keep themselves up.

They start to walk over and you see that "they" is actually another prisoner, the boy with a lisp. He starts running and skids to a stop on the sand in front of you, panting.

"So you got washed up here as well?" he asks, spitting saltwater onto the dry, light brown sand.

"Well, I would guess as such," you reply, voice quiet and shaky. You fall backwards on to the sand and stay laying for a few moments before sitting up to study your surroundings.

You seem to be stranded on some deserted island. About twenty yards ahead of you there is a jungle that you don't know the size of, judging by how far you've walked. It is a lush green and some distant palms shake with animals moving about. The dull hum of insects emanates from the greenery, and ferns wave as a breeze passes through. The sand trickles off into dark lava-rocks and silt, providing the answer as to why such a thriving forest could exist on a dry, hot place like this. You stare for a good seven minutes before hearing the boy with the lisp, or was it…. Sollux? Yes, it was Sollux, now you remember. Anyway, you hear him yell and wave his arms at a group of three walking towards you. This time it is Arachnid, Lion Tamer, and Blind-Lawyer.

They come running and catch up with you and Sollux, who talks to them while you are too busy sitting down with your head spinning. You subconsciously drown the sound of the conversation out and draw yourself into the into the gentle yet vibrant color of the jungle. You think about what is going to happen to you and your helpless acquaintances when you see a dull glow in a dark, shadowed part of the jungle. Your eyes narrow and you force your eyes to focus on the two white-and-purple spheres that seemed to illuminate the dark. You realize that they are eyes, glowing, deep, purple irises and dilated pupils, and you crawl the slightest bit closer. However, when you do, they widen and disappear quickly with a rustle of leaves and stems.

The group looks towards the sound and you, in your dumbfounded state, and you look towards their confused gazes, more than a little embarrassed. You brush it off as a figment of your imagination due to your dehydration and exhaustion, and use it as an excuse for finding water.

"I thought I saw someone that could possibly help us," you say, trying desperately to make up a story. "I… suppose it was due to the lack of fresh water I've been having for who knows how long."

The group nods at this. To your surprise, another woman comes up to them. She was the one who worked at an orphanage. "Hello," she says, her voice cracking from her dry throat. "Are any of you kind people in possession of water?"

Arachnid-or, now that you remember most of them, Vriska- rolls her eyes at this. "Oh, so now we have yet another thirst to quench. Just how many of us were there?" she says, annoyed, and crosses her arms. Kanaya, the motherly orphanage maid, narrows her eyes.

"And I suppose that you are the one deserving to take all of what we as humans need to survive? Truly, one as selfish-sounding as you should be lucky to earn but a drop of what we are able to collect," she replies.

Vriska pushes her mouth up and puckers her lips. "Fine," she says in a mocking tone. "I'll find a supply larger than any of you imbeciles should." She walks off to god knows where, deserting the group.

Terezi tilts her head back and groans. "Finally," she stated. "I was becoming quite annoyed with her personality."

Sollux furrows his brows and begins speaking before anyone else can continue ranting about Vriska. "Alright, we cannot afford to be gossiping about others," he says in a serious tone. "The first and only priority, currently, is to find water. Let's go see if we are alone on this island or there are others," he orders. He looks over the rest of you, thinking. "I will go with Kanaya and Karkat will go with Terezi and Nepeta. We will each search for others on opposite ends of the island and meet back at that tree," he points to a palm that is significantly larger than the others, "In approximately one hour."

You and your group walk for what seems like an eternity. You feel sick and weak, and you must walk slowly and cautiously as to not re-open your wound.

You eventually meet Aradia and Feferi walking and talking on the beach. After about fifty minutes of walking with them, you decide to walk back.

You meet Sollux, Kanaya and their group: Equius, Eridan, Tavros, and Vriska tagging along looking a bit angry that she didn't beat you to the water. There are eleven of you in total.

Aradia, having been on many camping expeditions with her mentor in archaeology, is the only one who knows how to make a fire. The group draws straws from fern leaves and you end up being the one that has to go get lost in that dark jungle to get dry wood. You could always burn clothes, and you argue this point, but nobody- including you -wants to be stuck on this island naked.

_Be the lone island-dweller watching this group of humans interact in ways you never knew possible._

Your name is… Well, you don't really have a name, let alone know what a "name" is. The only thing you know about this mysterious object called "name" is that it belongs to creatures like you, or as this group of intruders called you, humans.

You watch quietly and wide-eyed as the short one with the sunny hair and cloud-color skin gets irritated by pulling the biggest fern leaf out of another's hand. He has a weird removable pelt; it covers his entire body and does not seem to be made from animal hide. You look down at your tanned skin and your removable pelt which looks like a shorter version of the thing that covers his running parts. You silently climb own from your squatting position on the palm tree you were on when he walks closer. You duck underneath the shadow of a rock and get a good look at his face. He has eyes the color of dry blood and dull orange-brown skin-stars that dot his cheeks and nose. You recognize him from earlier. He was the one that saw you.

He walks past your hiding place and after he is far ahead of you, you climb out from under the rock and silently hop from tree to tree, rock to boulder, following him.

_Be the highly irritated 21-year-old cursed with the responsibility of gathering firewood. _

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you are currently getting yourself lost in an unexplored jungle on some deserted island.

You don't know why you didn't ask to go with a partner, but it's too late now. You have only picked up about three dry-looking twigs so far out of your thirty-minute journey through this stupid forest. You know you are terribly lost and will probably end up dead by poisoning, blood loss, infection, dehydration, starvation, or exhaustion.

You meander through the greenery for about ten more minutes until your suspicions are confirmed. Yes, you are indeed lost, and have no chance of finding your way back.

_Be the overly curious "human" following the sunset-head._

You are the overly-curious "human" without a "name" that is following this other "human". You are too busy staring at his face and oddly-colored hair to notice that you are nearing the edge of the boulder you are crawling on. You take two more steps and-

_Be the boy that has just heard something big fall into a bush behind you._

Your name is Karkat Vantas and what in the world did you just hear? It sounded like something large just fell into some now crushed fern behind you. You quickly turn around and you tense as you see what is behind you.

_Be the dizzy "human" that accidentally turned the island over by falling into the fern from the boulder._

You are now the mortified upside-down "human" laying in a green fern. You are staring straight into the bright and terrified eyes of the "human" with sunset-hair that you had been following. You cannot move from being so afraid, and partially because you landed on your thinkpan holder and you're dizzy. You stare at him for a while.

_Be the terrified boy staring at the all-too-familiar orbs._

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you cannot believe what you are seeing. Now you know that it was no figment of your imagination.

Because you recognize the pair of eyes you are staring into.

Those glowing.

Purple.

Eyes.


	3. Chapter 3- You Finally Learned Your Name

_Be the red-headed boy staring into this ape-man's luminescent eyes._

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you are frozen in your tracks. Your thoughts tell you to move but your legs refuse to listen to the command.

The boy has gotten up and he is walking towards you. He seems to tower above you, and by the looks of it, you barely come up to his chest. He has curly dark brown, almost black hair and his skin is tanned from the sun. His face is decorated with some sort of purple pigment from a plant in the oddest way; he looks like a clown. He gets way too close to your face for comfort, staring you straight in the eyes, his purple irises a wide contrast to your dark red ones.

You are about to scream for help and run and you open your mouth, only for it to be covered by one of his rough hands. He puts a finger up to his mouth and shushes you.

He takes his hand back and crouches down to your legs that only partially covered by your tattered beige pants. He cocks his head, and staring with the same intense curiosity in his eyes, tugs at them. You look down at him and scowl.

"What in the world are you doing?" you ask. The boy jumps back at the sound of your voice. He stands back up and uses both hands to pry open your jaw, looking into your throat as if trying to find the source of your ability to speak. You push him away.

"Have you never heard another human speak before?" you ask again. He only seems more confused. You sigh. "Alright. Well, I must leave. Have fun with your primitive lifestyle." you roll your eyes and turn around. You get about five steps forward before he is following you and trying to walk like a normal person.

You make a shooing motion with your hand. He just looks at you, confused, again. You place your thumb and forefinger on the bridge of your nose and sigh again. Now you _have _to take him to the others. You feel bad leaving him alone here in the jungle where probably anything and everything can kill you. You turn around and continue walking for a few more minutes before you hear another rustling of leaves and turn around to find that he has tripped into the ferns. This was going to be a long trip… especially since you were lost.

You somehow make it out of that creepy forest and to your fiends, but you are surprised to find that the original group that you left is larger. Now there are eight more of you: John, Rose, Dave, Jade, Jane, Roxy, Jake, and Dirk. The group, however, is disappointed that you found no firewood and even _more _shocked when they see that what you _did _find was a mysterious, illiterate and supposedly mute human. You explain to them what happened and decided that you are never going into that huge jungle again.

_Be the excited ape-man surrounded by weird "humans" like you._

You are the excited "human" now surrounded by other confused "humans". You have noticed that some of the other "humans" have longer hair and these weird round things on their chests. When you walk up to one of these special "humans" and touch them, though, "she" yells and runs away from you. The "human" with the sunset-hair tries to teach you not to do that, but you can only seem to draw your attention to the hole in his side.

This worries you. You have noticed that this thing makes it hard for him to walk and get up. It makes sense. You have learned due to your experiences in the jungle that these bad skin-curses, as you call them, hurt and sting and can even make you sick if it is left alone for too long. During his little monologue about why not to touch those round things, you push him down and pull his shirt up to get a better look at the injury.

The thing has already begun to fester and turn a sickening color, the untouched skin around it a burning red. You look up to his now annoyed-looking expression and frown. He doesn't know that he might go to sleep and not wake up. You jump up and off of him and run as fast as you can on all fours to the jungle to get the plant that helps.

_Be the confused and sad injured boy._

Your name is Karkat Vantas and what in god's name just happened? The nameless ape-man stared at the gash in your side for a full five minute before looking completely distressed and running back to where he came from. You sit on the beach staring into the jungle for a while. You cannot believe yourself for being sad that he is gone. You actually thought he might have been tolerable for the last days of your life here on this island.

You stare out at the constantly moving body of water ahead of you for a few more minutes before you are nearly doubled over by the weight of the other kid.

"What the hell? You imbecile!" you yell at him, shoving him off. He appears to be holding some sort leaf from a plant that is foreign to your knowledge. He pulls you closer to him by your left leg- you didn't expect him to be so strong- and he chews the leaf up a bit before rubbing the mush on your wound.

The stuff has an instant cooling effect and you sigh in relief. The damned gash had been burning all day and you didn't know that this kid's knowledge would help.

He takes his hand away and washes it off in the seawater. You wonder how long he has lived here. It had to be a good portion of his life, though, because he either never learned to speak or forgot because there was no one around to talk to.

This is when you decide that you should try to teach him how to talk. If he was your last chance of survival on this island, you might as well know what you're dealing with, and you can't know that until he tells you.

Names sound like the simplest thing to teach him, although you don't know his. You push your index finger into the damp sound beneath you and he watches. You carefully the appendage along until you have formed your name. You scoop up a bit of sand with your finger and touch it to your chest. "Karkat," you say, over-pronouncing the words.

He slowly stretches his arm out and he touches his finger to yours. You smile. "Yes," you say. "Karkat."

He cocks his head again, which he always seems to do when he's curious, and tries to form your name.

"Kahh… Kat," he says. His voice is gravelly and deep, a calm tone to it. He looks at you hopefully. You laugh. "Close enough," you say, smiling- a rare sight. He shows you a wide grin and pulls his finger back. This time he pokes his own chest, probably expecting you to know his name as well.

_Be the hopeful and expectant island-dweller that has just learned what a "name" is._

Your name is… Well, you wish you knew that, and you think you are just about to find out. You just learned that the sunset-headed "human's" name is Karkat, and you just can't wait until you find yours out.

You look at him for a while and read his expression, which has just faded from happy to sad. You wonder if you did something wrong that made him upset, and you feel a pang of guilt in your chest. He is your best friend. Best friends can't make each other sad! You take your finger away from your chest and look down, staring at your toes for a while.

Suddenly, you have an idea. You have something that has some of the same symbols as what Karkat wrote in the sand! You smile down at him and rifle through the animal-hide pouch connected to a belt around your waist before holding the small metal chain out to your friend.

He looks at you suspiciously, but takes the thing anyway. His eyes light up as he reads.

_Be the red-headed boy reading the small letters on the pendant._

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you are very happy. You finally know this buffoon's name. Gamzee Makara.

Wait a minute…

That last name is too familiar. Makara. _Makara… _

Oh.

He was a descendant of the Grand Highblood. The mass-murderer.

This scares you. He may have the same homicidal intentions and/or tendencies as his ancestor. But why would the Grand Highblood agree to leaving an heir to the throne on a remote island? None of it made sense. You shake it off, though, as you see him smiling again. He is way too happy all the time.

You touch his chest with your finger. "Gamzee," you say shakily. He takes a breath, obviously wanting not to disappoint you.

"Gamzeeeeee…" he draws out the "zee" sound. That part was an obvious challenge. You nod your head and he laughs, clapping and bouncing a bit. God, he is like an overgrown child. You crack a small smile as you watch him run down the beach and flop around in the water.

The rest of the day goes by fast and you eventually have to drag him to the fire that your other friends are sitting around. You teach him everyone's names and he has the hardest time pronouncing Sollux's because Sollux can only teach him with his lisp, and Gamzee always ends up pronouncing it as "Thollux."

He gets it, though, and there are lots of cheers when he says it correctly. He looks a bit scared at first by the loud noise, then everyone laughs, making him smile. You all teach him some words and by midnight he knows how to form a simple sentence.

At about 1:00 A.M. you all decide to sleep. Luckily, some ship sails washed up along with all of you and Dirk's small knife survived the wreck. Everyone ends up with their own sail-canvas bed except for Gamzee, who sleeps in a tree just at the edge of the jungle, but still within your line of sight.

You are happily sleeping the night away when a certain large hand shakes your shoulder. You furrow your brows and look up and Gamzee nearly scares you to death with how close he is to ou face.

"Best friend," he whispers, still not used to talking. "Best Friend" was his new nickname for you. He continues after pausing. "Cold."

You roll your eyes and lift up the part of the white canvas that is covering you. "Get in, idiot," you say, drowsy. He smiles and snuggles up next to you . He hugs you and you stare ahead, quite annoyed and for the most part, embarrassed.

"Gamzee," you say sternly. "Let go."

"But best friend," he whines.

"No, Gamzee. Karkat is saying no."

"Fine, best friend," he sighs, taking his arms back to himself. You eventually fall back to sleep, smushed into your portion of the sail with the much larger person next to you.


	4. Chapter 4- Dehydration and Nice Views

**Hello everyone! I just want to say that I am very, very sorry for the long wait :( The dreaded writer's block consumed me. Well, I expect to be updating again soon, but I'm gonna need a lot of motivation. School is starting up again in, like, a week, and 8th grade is going to be a bitch. Alright, I'll get on with Chapter 4 now.**

_Be the happy boy that is just waking up._

Your name is Gamzee Makara, as you have previously learned, and you are rested and happy. You open your eyes and stretch your arms above your head as you yawn. Your friend, Karkat, stirs beside you, letting out a small yawn. You assume he is awake and poke his shoulder.

"Hello, Best Friend," you say, smiling. His eyes are closed still but he furrows his brows. "No, Gamzee," he says groggily. "When a person wakes up as the day begins, you say 'Good morning'."

"I say wrong?" you whine. You worry again if you made him upset.

"No, Gamzee, you just said something people don't always say to others when the wake up."

"So Gamzee say right?"

"No, not that either," Karkat grumbles, dragging both hands down his face.

"...Gamzee make Karkat mad?" you say worriedly. Karkat's eyes snap open, the emotion clear.

"You are starting to," he growls. You frown and hug him as tight as you can. "I am sorry, Best Friend. I not do again," you say. He frantically scrambles out of your grip and groans.

"Gamzee, no hugs. We need to get up," he sighs out. You roll out of the canvas and onto the sun-warm sand of the morning. Karkat pulls the folded sail off of himself, sits up, and rubs his eyes. You look down at the cut in his side and see that is is already looking healthier, the red around it is gone and a scab has formed. You smile.

"Best Friend," you say happily. "Your hurt looks better."

Karkat raises a brow and looks down at his side. He hums. "Yes, Gamzee, it does," he replies. He gets up and rouses the rest of the group while you find some more of those leaves. Those things calmed you down when you ate them and they healed people too.

_Be the dehydrated and hungry boy that is waking everyone up._

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you are _extremely _thirsty. You have finished waking everyone up and have succeeded in getting them into a group circle around the burnt-out campfire. Gamzee is nowhere in sight, or at least you think so, until he tackles you to the ground. Nobody warned you?! They can all see behind you! You scold him and he gets off, sitting beside you as you talk about your little water problem.

His eyes light up at the word "water". That seemed to be one of his favorite words last night.

"Best friend! Know where water!" he tugs at your tattered pants, smiling up at you. You stare down before replying.

"Where is the water, Gamzee?" you say, changing the tone of your voice so it sounds like you are conversing with a three-year-old. You think for a second before continuing. "The one that humans can drink?"

Gamzee nods and points to the jungle behind you. You turn to the group with an exasperated look on your face that tells them…

You were going to be gone for a while.

…..

Your name is still Karkat Vantas and you are currently trudging through the jungle. You started this trip dehydrated and sweating as much as you are right now and it is certainly not helping.

You don't know how long you've been walking or how much longer it will be. You have decided to stay on the moist ground while Gamzee uses the boulders and trees as a pathway. The jungle has only gotten progressively more humid, and you're not sure if you can take much more of it.

This thought is confirmed when you collapse to the ground. You are exhausted and your breathing seems heavy.

Your eyelids fall closed as you hear Gamzee yelling your name. You don't black out, though, and within seconds you are picked up by a strong pair of arms.

"Best Friend," Gamzee whispers. Your eyes flutter open for a second just to close once more. "Sick?" he continues.

When you only groan for an answer, he takes off running further into the jungle. "Water, water," you hear him repeating, your head bouncing up and down as he runs, saying what needed to happen, "Karkat needs water."

You attempt to open your eyes when he stops, and luckily, you are able to see your surroundings as he lays you down on some moss beside the pond you two are at.

You take in the area as soon as it comes into your vision. There are vibrant green ferns with waxy leaves, colors of the entire spectrum, and the water you had been set down next to is so clear that you swear you can see the details of every grain of sand on the bottom. The trees around you form a small circle around the pond, and let in just enough sunlight to brilliantly illuminate every color in the environment.

Gamzee is crouched over the waterline next to you, detaching a small animal-hide makeshift canteen from his vine-belt. He had everything he needed to survive on there.

You watch him fill the vessel with water and quickly scurry over to you. He pulls you into his lap so you are laying horizontally on his crossed legs and tilts your head back, bringing the canteen to your lips. You reach up to the bottle as the cool, refreshing water runs over your teeth and down your throat. You clench your eyes shut and take huge swigs of the liquid, letting your arms fall to your sides and the canteen roll away from you when you empty it.

Your breathing slows after a few minutes, and Gamzee starts gently petting your hair. You're too tired out to protest, though, so you don't say anything.

"Karkat feel better now?" Gamzee says, smiling down at you. You sigh out a "yes" and he sits you up. You put your head in your hands and peer through your fingers at the completely transparent water.

You move towards it and reach your hands into the cool liquid. You sigh as your sunburned arms are chilled down and you move your hands deeper into the pond until it has reached your shoulders. It is deeper than you thought, and it seems to have a bigger area, too, once you take another look at your surroundings.

You stare back down into the water and take a deep breath, holding your sun-pink face under the cool temperature for a little while. You lean back up and breath heavily, watching Gamzee fill the small canteen and a larger one up with water. You know it's not going to be enough, though, and you interrupt him.

"Gamzee," you say, your voice a bit raspy from the dryness of your throat, "That will not be enough water for everyone."

Gamzee thinks for a moment, processing what you said. He suddenly perks up with a smile.

"I know, Best Friend! We use… we use…" he trails off, trying to think of a word. He looks up at you again, and points to one of the palm trees near the water. You stare at the tree, puzzled, then your eye catches on a bunch of coconuts.

"Gamzee," you say, looking back to meet his gaze. "Those?" you point to the coconuts. Gamzee nods and makes his way towards the tree. You wonder how you are going to help him to the top when he begins climbing it on his own. You wonder how he does it, first of all because palm trees have no branches, and second of all because just exactly how strong is this boy?! Not even a circus performer is that capable of doing such a thing, Nepeta could probably confirm that.

You watch, mouth agape, as Gamzee grabs the bunch and slides down the trunk of the palm as if it took zero effort. He walks over to you, smiling, and sets the coconuts down.

"Here, Best Friend," he says, and hands you a blade made of solid wood. He pulls out his own from that pouch, and begins splitting the rough objects in half, pouring the translucent liquid out and onto the ground. You watch him split a few more open before you try one on your own, You succeed and are happy with your results of the next few, but you're jealous of Gamzee's skill. He splits them in half a second, the cut perfectly straight down the middle, while you take a little longer and your cuts are rather jagged and uneven. You finish and fill one half of each coconut with water.

Once you two are done, he gets some thin vines from around you, cuts small holes near the cuts in the coconuts, and strings them through. You watch, quite impressed, as he skilfully seals the water-filled coconuts. Once he finishes, he smiles at you, proud of his little invention. To you, it seems like he is always happy, and you can't help but let down your walls the tiniest bit and let some of his joy rub off on you.

After a few minutes of silence, he begins to speak. "Karkat," he says, excitement lighting up his eyes, "Idea!"

You nod your head expectantly. "What is your idea, Gamzee?" you say, leaning forward. He looks as if he is thinking, then grabs your wrist, strings the chain of coconuts through his belt, and stands you both up.

You are about to question him when he begins running deeper into the jungle. You swear he will never let go of his death-grip on your hand. You struggle to keep up with him, being significantly smaller with shorter legs and having blacked out not even thirty minutes ago.

The only thing you see as you are moving is a blur of different shades of green and brown with a few vibrant pinks and yellows here and there, the only thing you hear is the crash of small plant leaves rustling beneath your feet, and the only things you feel are your hand being held tightly and the bottom of your bare feet gradually being caked with the fertile soil of the jungle. You are running out of breath and are about to ask him to stop when he ceases all movement. You lift your hanging head up to see the clearing around you and notice a tree with what looked like ladder rungs cut into it.

Gamzee looks down at you and smiles, then points to the tree. You nod.

"Alright, Gamzee, just let me get ahold of my breath first," you say, still panting. You are eventually able to keep a steady breath up and slowly walk towards the trunk of the thick tree. You put your hands on it and you realize just how enormous the thing is. You're not sure if it's indigenous to this area but you aren't about to question it.

You start climbing, boosting your short frame up to the second "rung" with a small hop. You make it halfway up the tree and look over your shoulder, down below you. Gamzee is just under you, and when you stop, he looks up and you and smiles. You can't help but let out a small laugh at his constant… mirthfulness. Yes, that was a word that described him perfectly. Mirthful.

The further you climb up the tree, the thicker the waxy leaves are. You get to the top, and luckily, you aren't afraid of heights, because this tree is far larger and taller than any other on the island. It is a little past noon by now, judging by the position of the sun, and you carefully set yourself on the thick layer of leaves and branches. Gamzee follows a few seconds after, sitting next to you but somehow still significantly taller.

You can see the whole island from all sides. There is nothing but ocean for miles, shimmering and pushing waves onto the sandy shore. The sun warms your back and stings your sunburned face, making you wince slightly. Gamzee looks at you , slightly worried, but you shake your head reassuringly. Gamzee points northeast of you, leaning close to you. Your heart flutters for a second when his forearm touches your shoulder and you mentally scold yourself. What was that for?

"Friends there," he says quietly, letting his arm slap back down onto his lap. "They waiting for us."

You nod your head and look on in front of you, letting your mind wander. You think about all that has happened, what will happen if you ever get back, and how long you will possibly survive on this island. You zone out for a while.

_Be the quite happy island-dweller looking at Karkat._

Your name is Gamzee Makara and you are currently looking down at Karkat who seems to be in some sort of deep thought. You can't help but feel protective over him and feel sad when he gets hurt. You like how short and grumpy he is and you could say… Well, you could say that you "love" him. That was one of the first words they taught you, love. You can say that you have felt it a long time ago before, but you're not sure when. You kind of want to lean in and "kiss" him… that's what Dirk does to Jake and Dave does to John. You think… all they do is touch their lips together and they love each other. But…

Wouldn't Karkat have to love you too? You are best friends. You wouldn't want to ruin how close you are to him now. You fight back the urge to get close to him, hug him and then kiss him, and you shake your head quickly, causing Karkat to look over and furrow his brows.

"Gamzee, are you alright?" he says questioningly. You look him in his dark red eyes, and smile.

"Yes, Best Friend," you say. He shrugs and looks back in front of him, raising his hand up in front of his forehead to block the sun from burning him further.

You decide that now is a good time to go back. You nudge his arm.

"Best Friend," you say. he looks back over to you with his default scowl. "I think we go back to friends now."

He nods and you start descending before him. You stop at the fifth rung and jump off. He follows soon after, stumbling a bit. You laugh and start walking back the way you came.

_Be the short, red-eyed boy following your ape-man friend._

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you are so confused. You have just climbed down from a tree and you are currently trudging through this stupid, thick jungle right after your "best friend". This "best friend", however, is the thing that's making you confused.

While you were sitting atop the tree, you started to think about things. Certain things. These certain things just happened to be about him. You had been thinking about what it would be like to kiss him, and then had quickly snapped out of your thoughts. You are a man. He is a man. There is nothing more than platonic that should be in between you.

Still, you cannot help but feel the slightest bit of romantic attraction to him. He's always smiling and laughing. He saved your lives. Unfortunately for you, it's contagious and always breaking your facade.

The one thing that annoys you, though, is the weird face-paint he wears. You still can't guess how he knows what a clown looks like or why he decided to look like one. You decide you'll ask about it later. It'll be a chance to teach him some new words anyway.

You two eventually make it back to "camp" and the rest of your friends are elated to see that you have brought the requirements for rehydration. You all slowly drink the water and revitalize your systems, and by the end of he day, it is all gone. The only thing to solve now is your hunger.

But you guess that can wait, because all you want to do now is to sleep.

Especially if Gamzee is hugging you while you do so.


	5. Chapter 5: The Opposite of Hate

**SORRY SORRY I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING THIS DAMN THING SOONERRR**

**READ IT I'LL STOP TALKING NOW**

Everyone is everywhere. Everyone is running around or playing in the water, having fun, and it excited you.

Your name is Gamzee Makara and it has been a couple of weeks since your wonderful group of friends washed up on this "island", as Karkat called it. Oh yeah, that little guy. You definitely have something going on inside of your chest for him. Luckily you get to sleep in the same bed with him, because every time you touch him you get this weird, warm feeling in your head and stomach and then you want to "kiss" him. You have been meaning to ask him what that word is exactly; it's been thrown around a few times during around-the-fire conversations and you've seen it happen with a few of your friends, so you have an idea of what it is. But the people who _do _kiss each other… They also say these three words that always make the other one smile. What you've deduced is that it's a feeling, but what exactly? Karkat says "I hate you" to people all the time, and you know it's a bad thing. But… what does "I love you?" mean?

You resurface from the murky depths of your mind and turn to Karkat, who has been sitting with you in the shade at the edge of the jungle since the day began. He says he doesn't want to get "sunburned". He has very pale skin, and you've learned that the little, light-brown skin stars as you call them are "freckles". He says he burns so easily because he has red hair, and red hair is a mutant gene.

"Best Friend?" you ask curiously.

"What, Gamzee?" Karkat replies, continuing to stare out at sea.

"What does 'love' mean?" You've been practicing your English, and lately, you've been proud of yourself.

Karkat' eyes widen a bit and he looks over to you, raising one eyebrow.

"Well…" he begins, trying to pick out his words carefully. "It's… a feeling that… Honestly can't be described, I…" he trails off.

You lean forward, looking into his dark red eyes, letting him know how much you want to figure this out.

"It's a special feeling towards someone or something close to you. There are different types of love, some for children towards their parents, parents towards their children… That's unconditional love, nothing can change that. Then there is what is called platonic love, which is what I feel for Sollux. That's conditional love, though, so if we had a huge argument, then we would probably not be as good of friends any longer. Then… there's… romantic love…" he quiets down at the end there, blushing lightly and avoiding your gaze.

"Best Friend, is that one bad?" you ask, tilting your head. You see his face get redder, but he still doesn't look at you.

"No not at all… It's… quite a great feeling, actually. You feel wonderfully nervous around someone, you get odd feelings in your chest… But still good ones. You can love someone romantically and not know if they feel the same way as you do, and that can cause you to feel extreme longing… You want them to protect you from harm, you want them to hold you, you want to feel their warmth, and you also want to… kiss them… but if they don't feel the same as you, it can destroy you, send you into depression, even. But if they love you the same way you love them, you can have a romantic relationship with them. They are allowed to hold you, they're allowed to protect you, kiss you, and you the same to them. That kind of love is also conditional, but if you truly, with all of your soul, love them, you'll stay with them for a long time… Sometimes forever."

You stay silent for a moment, processing what your friend has just said. You get it now. You know what it is. You love Karkat, that's why you get the weird, warm feelings in your stomach. Romantically, you think it is, no… you're sure it is. You can't and don't want to imagine any pain befalling him, especially by your own hands. But that won't happen as long as you have the sopor plant around.

"So… kiss is two people who ro… man...ly… love each other showing the love?" you ask, fumbling over that one word.

"Yes," Karkat says, playing with his hands in his lap. "Kissing is what romantic couples do, it's a way of displaying their love to each other and to people around them."

"Ooooh," you let out. "So Terezi and Nepeta are… Rrr… Ro…" you furrow your brows, trying to figure out that stupidly difficult word.

"Romantic. Yes, they are."

You smile at this, looking back out to everyone in the water and on the shore. You really want to go play around with them, but you also don't want to leave Karkat alone, especially now that you know how you feel about him. But maybe he could come out and have fun for just a little while…?

"Come on, Best Friend, the Sun not going to burn your skin!" You stand up, gripping his wrist, starting to tug him away from the shade.

"God, fine! Calm down, Gamzee, you're hurting my wrist!"

You lighten up a bit, feeling extremely sorry. You shake it off and pull him up, slowly walking at first, then running through the hot sand with him stumbling behind you. You make it to the water, and you smile down at him before trudging into the salty water. He follows slowly behind you, obviously not very fond of the ocean, and once you two get about knee-deep, you start splashing him.

At first he just yells at you, but soon he is smirking and splashing you back, shoving you around and even yelling at your other friends to come over. Eventually, everyone is in the water, swimming and yelling and smiling. And you're happy because Karkat is happy… He's actually smiling and laughing. But when everyone moves out into the deeper water, he doesn't follow and frowns, crossing his arms.

"Best Friend!" You yell, tilting your head. "Why not you come further?"

"I can't swim, Gamzee!" he yells back, forming a cone around his mouth with his hands. "I'll drown!"

You wade over to him and swiftly pick him up, setting him on your shoulders. You hang on to his legs, starting to head back to your friends.

"It's okay, Karkat, I help you," you chime, feeling proud of yourself. He squirms around for a bit, then gives up, slumping and resting his arms on your head.

You are having a good time when Dirk sees you, smirks, and has Dave get on his shoulders. He wades over to you, and you are confused before Karkat speaks.

"Strider, if you knock me off, I will not hesitate to poison your food," he growls, leaning forward.

"Have it your way, Kar, but you're going down," Dave replies, smirking.

So this is a game? Alright.

Karkat taps the top of your head, telling you to move, and as soon as you do, Dirk does too. Dave grips Karkat's shoulders and Karkat does the same to Dave, growling at him.

"Three..." Dirk starts, standing still. "Two… One… Go!"

Karkat begins trying to shove Dave off of Dirk's shoulders, leaving scratch marks everywhere on his skin. Dave rips Karkat's arms off of him, shoving him backwards. Karkat resists and grits his teeth, tightening his legs around your shoulders.

"Not today, you ignorant prick!" he yells, and gives one final, strong shove against Dave's chest, sending him backwards with his head submerged in the water. Karkat shoots a fist up into the air, letting out a triumphant snarl. A few of your friends cheer, and you laugh. This is a fun game.

The next few hours are just filled with nothing but fun, and you actually teach Karkat how to swim some. After a while, though, he's starting to look pretty pink, and you take him back to your shady spot.

By the time everyone is back on shore, the sun is setting. You're still sitting at the edge of the jungle next to him as the rest of your friends are setting up the fire. He is resting his head on your shoulder, and you think he's falling asleep, you purposely move in front of him.

"Best Friend," you start, gathering up the courage you need for this. You decided you'd do this earlier.

"What, Gamzee? I was falling asleep."

You look up to him, studying his sunburned face. Yeah, you'll have to take care of that later.

"Do you love anyone?"

He widens his eyes and tenses up at this, blushing. "W-what… Gamzee, where did this come from, Gamzee?"

You don't know if you can say it, even though it's only three words. So you settle with the action.

You lean forward.

And kiss him on the lips.

You're not quite sure you're doing this correctly, but you suppose that it can't require too much effort.

You hold yourself there, nervous and trying not to shake, brows furrowed and eyes clamped shut. You are losing hope that he feels the same way towards you with every passing second, but just as you are about to give up and walk away-

His small, soft hands tangle themselves on your messy, knotted hair, and he leans forward into you, returning your gesture.

You pull away after a few seconds- you didn't know it'd be hard to breathe- And smile down at him.

"Yes, Gamzee," he says, pulling you into a tight hug. "I do love someone."

"You love me?" you ask, nuzzling your nose into his soft, sunset-colored hair.

"You bumbling idiot," he chuckles into the crook of your neck. "Yes, you."

You smile and feel as if all of your happiness is going to cause you to explode, and you hug him tighter, if even possible.

"I love Karkat too."

This night is a night where you are happier than you have ever been.

Because he is the one who snuggles into you first when you go to bed.


End file.
